Kairi dozed off, curled up in her seat, mumbling to herself when the Gummi ship was suddenly hit, knocking everyone over as the Keyblade wielder looked towards the window. Outside it was a giant ship floating by, canons at the ready.
" What the-"
"It's going to ram us!" Goofy exclaimed too late as there was an explosion and the three were sent flying.
Kairi awoke alone within the brig of a ship, feeling a sense of familiarity as she realized that once again, she was behind bars. This time at least, there was a window that could easily be broken…
"We weren't expecting you."
She turned in surprise to see a familiar face smirking at her with a pleasant expression on his face. She glared at him placing her hand on the bars that separated her from hitting his stupid face.
"It is good to see you again." Riku admitted, but that didn't lower her guard as he placed a hand on the prison bar as well.
"Where are my friends?" She demanded.
"Are they that important to you? More important than us?" He questioned with a frown on his face taking a step back.
"Stop trying to mess with me Riku, you all are important to me!"
Riku scoffed at this, placing a hand on his hip. "Your friends are fine, the captain's dealing with them. Sora on the other hand…" he lowered his head a dreary aura suddenly radiated around him.
"Tell me," She pleaded. "You owe me that much."
"If you hadn't been so focused on your new friends, we could've found him sooner. Then by now he would've been safe!"
"Riku! Where's Sora?!"
He glanced back towards her, with a familiar expression on his face, vulnerability. "He's lost his heart to the darkness, he can't even wake up."
"Then why are you siding with the Heartless?" Kairi asked as she felt her world spin at the news. "Riku, sooner or later they'll turn against you!"
"Because it's the only way to save him."
Kairi hung her head, gripping the bars tightly. "Let me see him, please."
"Sorry Kairi, but you've already had enough chances, do yourself a favor and stay out of my way."
"Riku!" Kairi reached out through the bars as she watched her best friend walk away with no remorse.
"We're close to land." Hook stated as he heard Riku's footsteps walked up towards him. The two now overlooking the ship and the hordes of heartless forming atop the deck.
"I'm sure you realize that the prisoners have to be kept apart." Riku remarked with his arms crossed.
"Of course, this isn't my first day as…" Hooks words ceased immediately as he started shaking. "Do you hear that?"
Riku tilted his head to look to where the captain's gaze was. "Hear what?" A small light caught his attention as it flew towards the brig of the ship.
"Err, nothing, nothing, ! It shall be done." Hood quickly responded as he sauntered away. "Smee where are you?!"
On the other side of the ship, Goofy watched Donald pace through the room after whacking the door as many times as he could before getting tired.
"Do you think Kairi's okay?" The guard questioned.
"She can take care of herself, we gotta figure out of to get out of here." Donald then looked up towards a hatch on the ceiling. "Help me up." He demanded as Goofy lifted him onto his shoulders atop the crates that were already in the room.
"Find a way out yet?"
Donald reached up towards the hatch but it was too far away, the two lost their balance and ended up crashing down to the ground as they lost their balance.
"Oww…" They both muttered as the hatch opened all of a sudden an in popped a elvish looking boy with a mischievous smile on his face "How ya doin' there? Looking for a way out?" He questioned.
"Who are you?" Goofy questioned as Donald looked up in discontent.
"Me? I'm the answer to your prayers."
Donald grumbled, " How do we know you're not a pirate?"
The boy scoffed as though that were an insult, "Okay, then. Fine. Have it your way." He closed the hatch almost immediately before either had a chance to respond. Leaving the two now trapped, sighing in exhaustion.
"HYA!"
The bars below her cell were easier to break through with enough time. She jumped below the deck holding her weapon. Looking around she saw the halls were empty.
"Got you!"
Kairi flinched as she hear an unfamiliar voice yelling, she quickly hid in a nearby hall, now eavesdropping as she glanced towards a man with a hook and a lanturn.
"You're not getting away from me this time Tinker bell." The man cackled, teeth showing as the light in the lantern moved around rapidly in the lantern as though it was alive. The captain walked away down the hall towards her direction, and she only had a split second to think.
WACK
She grimaced as the hook-handed man now was unconscious on the floor, the lantern now fallen to the ground.
"Sorrysorrysorry!" Kairi said guiltily as she picked up the lantern and ran off towards another room of the maze of a ship, one with a hole in the floor with cool air coming out. The darkness of it was unsettling as she hugged the lantern to her chest.
"Oh." She lifted the lantern to her face peering in to see a small, cute-looking fairy with a pouty expression on her face. She opened the door and the fairy flew out rapidly, first around the room and then close to her face.
"Hi?" She said nervously to the mean looking fairy. "I'm Kairi."
The fairy opened her mouth, sounding like a ringing bell, then tugging on her hair.
"Hey-" Kairi winced, " That hurts!" She took a step back and the fairy released her grip on her, still glaring at her. "Do you want me to follow you?"
The sound of the bell rang faster as the fairy nodded her head rapidly, pointing down towards the hole in the floor. It seemed as though the fairy knew her way around this ship, and it wasn't as though Kairi knew where she was going...
"Alright, lead the way." She huffed, as she walked towards the basement of the ship.
The ship was crawling with armed heartless, Tinker Bell knowingly flew out of the grasp of the heartless as Kairi took them out, and she led her towards the deck of the ship.
"Tinker Bell, what took you so long?"
"Huh?" Kairi looked up to see a boy with red hair flying above them with a mischievous smile, the fairy, Tinker Bell, began to fly towards the boy.
"Looks like you made a new friend." The boy flew down though still hovering over the ground. "Name's Peter Pan." He held his hand out.
"Kairi." She introduced herself shaking his hand.
"Kairi," Peter said to himself, "So did the pirates nab you too?"
"Looks like it. Peter, was it?" She questioned, "Is there anyone else on the ship?"
He nodded, "Yeah, two weird looking guys below the captain's deck, they weren't very friendly." He remarked.
"Was there anyone else?" She almost pleaded.
"Hm, well there was another boy in the Captain Hook's quarters, but when I tried to wake him up he wouldn't move. Bet he's under some kind of spell." He reasoned.
"Tink, did you find Wendy."
The fairy nodded, saying something in Peter's ear.
"Hold on, she did what?!" The boy looked at Kairi in surprise, a look a shock quickly turning to glee as he laughed heartily.
"What?" Kairi questioned as her cheeks suddenly felt hot, almost sure of what they were talking about. But neither of the two revealed anything but smiles on their faces.
"Alright, time to save some friends. I assume the ones under the Captain's deck are you friends?"
Kairi nodded, " They probably are."
"Okay, first things first, you need to learn how to fly."
"Fly?"
"Yeah, can't fight pirates without Pixie dust. Tink?"
Tinker Bell flew above Kairi, dispelling a golden dust all over her.
"The trick is to believe." Peter winked playfully.
"Believe?" She questioned as Tinker bell landed on her shoulder.
"Yeah, you can't if you can't believe."
"Okay." Kairi responded with a nod. She wasn't sure if this dust could actually make her fly, but she had to believe that such a thing was possible. After all, this was magic from another world, one that could help her reunite with her friend.
"Are you crazy? There is no way I'm gonna leave Wendy there!"
Kairi turned her head and saw the two friends bickering among themselves.
"Hey, guys?"
The two then looked at her, half agitated with each other.
"Can this possibly wait until we rescue our friends?"
"Fine." Peter muttered as Tinker bell sided with Kairi, now sitting on her shoulder again.
"So how do we rescue them?"
"With the greatest weapon of all." Peter Pan said smugly as he gestured for Kairi to come closer, he then whispered in her ear with Tinker bell between them. "Surprise."
"What? So Wendy's not one of the chosen ones?!" Hook ragged as he hung his head still dizzy.
"There are seven, supposedly, and Maleficent says she's not one of them. " Riku responded as he stood over his sleeping friend. "Hoist anchor as soon as possible. Leave all the dead weight behind, including her."
"After the trouble of capturing her?!" Hook complained. "And why those seven? What is Maleficent planning, anyway?"
"Who knows? So long as she delivers on what was promised to both of us, nothing else matters.'
"Hmph. You're wasting your time!" Hook remarked, noticing where Maleficents pawn's attention was. " The Heartless have devoured that boy's heart. I'll stake me other hand it's lost forever-ACK!"
The captain didn't have a chance to finish his words as Riku almost pierced his neck with his weapon, anger radiating off of him as the heartless gathered around.
"Careful, you wouldn't want to lose that other hand." He warned.
"Uh, Captain..." The first hand, Mr. Smee, spoke through the pipes all around the ship.
"What?!"
"The girl has escaped with Tinker Bell, what's more, Peter Pan is with them on the deck!"
Riku took notice and lowered his weapon at the mention of Kairi.
"Blast that Peter Pan! All right, then! Bring the hostages to me cabin, Smee! Hop to it!" Hook's attention was captured as he all but ran out of the cabin, no longer caring about Riku.
" Peter Pan? Where are you?!" Hook questioned, looking around the deck of the ship with the hostages following suit.
Across from where the captain's cabin was the trio, hiding behind one of the pillars of the ship. Kairi and Peter nodded to each other, the boy flying away sneakily as Kairi kept her head down. Looking over the scene, Donald and Goofy were unable to move, chained up with another girl that must've been Wendy. Captain Hook looked around the skies expecting someone to show up but to no avail. He took careful steps forward, drawing his sword as he still looked around.
"Come out, come out where ever you two are..." He grew more agitated as the seconds passed. "Come now Kairi, don't you want to see your little friends, Riku, and that boy Sora?"
Kairi clutched the grip of the keyblade, her heart beating faster as she wondered where Peter was.
"Got you."
She reflexively tumbled out of the way to evade the sword stabbing down the spot where she was sitting before, now facing him with anger on her face.
"Kairi!" She heard Donald and Goofy yelling out her name as she kept parrying Hook's jabs towards her with a murderous expression on his face.
"Quite a codfish, that Riku isn't he?" Hook remarked as he caught her in a unyielding strike with both of their weapons clashed together. "About to run off again with your little friend."
Kairi was caught off guard, "Run off where? Tell me, where did he go?!" She pressed further but Hood kicked her in the gut towards the edge of the ship.
She had a sword to her face as she glared at the Captain.
"Seems to me you've got the tide against you, your Highness." The blade now pressed against her throat. "Hand over the Keyblade and I'll spare all of your lives. Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless. So, which will it be? The Keyblade, or the plank?"
Kairi looked back towards the plank behind her, then back at her friends who gave her concerned glances. Without taking her gaze off of the Captain she began walking back towards the edge of the plank, no hesitation in her eyes much to the amusement of the Captain.
"He never said you were a fool." Hook chuckled as Donald and Goofy scrambled to remove their chains.
Kairi took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and focusing only aware of the Kingdom Key in her hand, warm, as though there was a hand holding hers...then fell.
"KAIRI!"
Kairi's eyes opened to a open mouthed crocodile almost looking happy with her hovering over him, the pixie dust glowing around her.
"It's him! The crocodile that took me hand! Oh, Smee! He's- AHHHHHHH!"
In a flash of red Hook fell into the ocean, swimming as fast as he could with the crocodile chasing after him.
She stared at the odd sight for a moment before she flinched in shock.
"Surprise!" Peter almost yelled as he tapped her on the shoulder with a cheeky grin on his face. She sighed the stress away, punching his arm.
"You cut it too close!"
"Hey, you flew didn't you?" Pan said with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face as Tinker bell patted her cheek understandably.
All three flew back on deck, hovering as all Peter and Kairi had their weapons drawn, scaring off the only guard, a chubby short man with a large nose. In one swift strike Kairi destroyed the chains and was dog piled on by her friends, half crying, happy that she wasn't dead.
"I'm okay guys, really." She insisted, but both Donald and Goofy hugged her tightly. Once they were back on their feet, Peter gestured towards the cabin door. "That's where I saw that sleeping boy."
Kairi's heart raced as she took the handle of the door in her hand, pushing in.
"Riku!" Kairi called out as she saw her best friend in front of a dark portal, back to her. As he heard her call, he revealed their best friend in his arms, unresponsive. Her heart sank as she reached out towards him, wanting to embrace him after so long apart.
"Find us, in Hollow Bastion."
She saw Riku looking down at Sora, then back at her with eyes heavy with grief.
"Wait!"
He didn't say anything as he turned toward darkness, dragging Sora along with him.
Kairi stood atop the crows nest of the ship her head held high as she felt the breeze against her face. Tinkerbell was still by her side, reminded her of the friend that used to do the same when she felt upset.
"I really flew today." She said to herself, perhaps to Tinker Bell if the fairy responded. "We were aboard a pirate ship, fought pirates, and outwitted them." She couldn't help the smile that drew on her face. "He's going to be so jealous when I tell him."
She heard Tinker bell ringing in her ear, the fairy flying up to her face with a smile.
"Kairi?!" They both looked down to see Donald and Goofy standing on the lower deck as they approached the city. "We're here!" Donald called out as the flying ship approached Big Ben.
As the ship was parked above the tower all of them, save for Wendy, flew down towards the clock face, the Keyhole appearing as they approached. In her hand she used the Keyblade to shoot a beam at the Keyhole, sealing the world from the Heartless forever.
"It was reckless to bring her here without at least using a vessel. Remember, relying too heavily on the dark powers could cost you your heart."
Riku grunted as he fell to his knees, grasping his friend close as he didn't want to drop him. "You...don't think I know that?" He rasped.
" It appears you have reached an impasse with your friend." Maleficent remarked as she watched Riku pick himself up and limp her by, carding his unconsciousness friend in his arms. " Shall I prepare for Kairi's, invitation?"
"Don't bother." Riku said with his back to the witch. "When the time comes she'll come willingly, after all," he looked down at Soras sleeping face, almost amused as the boy was sleeping so soundly, "She wouldn't ever abandon her light now that she knows where we'll be."
" As you wish." Maleficent smiled at the child's promise, noticing the hordes of heartless gathering closer to him as his darkness grew stronger.
" Kairi? You wanna talk about it?" Donald asked, exchanging a worried glance with Goofy as they approached Traverse Town.
Kairi lifted her head, reaching to touch the necklace around her neck with familiarity. "He's just scared, I know it."
" Huh?" The both tilted their heads in confusion.
" Riku," She clarified. " He's scared that he won't be able to save Sora, I know, because I'm scared too. That he won't be able to wake up, that's why he so easily turned towards the darkness, towards Maleficent. Not being strong enough to keep Sora safe, I'm sure that's what Rikus afraid of the most."
"What about you?" Donald questioned.
Kairi looked at her hand, trying to recall why her weapon felt so comforting in her hand. " I've had the Keyblade and you guys to protect me all this time and Riku could always take care of himself, but Sora? He was always useless without us." She smiled mournfully at the bittersweet memory of his smile. " That's why Riku wants to find him so fast, because he's scared for him. And if something were to happen to Sora…I don't know what we'd do." She sighed to herself, but kept her chin up. "But even now, I know we're all still friends, and when it comes down to it, I know Riku will pull through for us. Because he knows that we'd do the same for him."
She gripped her necklace with a smile broadening on her face, now assured that all three of them would go home together...
KingJGamer - Thanks for your critique, sorry about the padding. I've noticed it, but try to make up for it with smaller omake stories to help build up the world and characters more. It takes a good few hours for me to prep, fact check, write, and edit everything and some stuff slips through the cracks.
That being said, If anyone would like to beta read I would appreciate it.
(Also the questions about Sora will be answered within a slow burn. I'm just saying this now)